DIY blood pressure checks to prevent millions of heart deaths

Doctors hope to identify more patients at risk of a heart attack or strokeOLI SCARFF/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Britons will be encouraged to check their own blood pressure and heart rate in GP surgery waiting rooms as part of an NHS drive to prevent early deaths.

Seven million adults in the UK are estimated to have conditions such as high cholesterol and irregular heartbeats but have not been treated or diagnosed, leaving them at greater risk of suffering heart attacks, strokes or dementia. NHS England will tell doctors to install blood pressure machines and heart rate monitors in waiting rooms, and GP surgeries will be expected to identify patients who may have a potentially fatal irregular heartbeat.

Pharmacies are to offer free blood pressure checks on request and pin-prick blood tests to diagnose high cholesterol, for which statins are usually prescribed.